Testing the Waters
by Grimmlin
Summary: Rose and the doctor both survived canary wharf, but rose lost her mother on the other side. After what must have been weeks of moping around in the TARDIS, she decides enough is enough. She's done being sad. The doctor decides to take her to a beautiful planet to cheer her up, but what will they discover once they get there? (Rosex10. Might be leading up to a rewrite of season 3..)
1. Little Talks

So I'm just writing this for fun. I need more Rosex10 in my life, so why not? This could possibly be building up to a series 3 rewrite (and beyond), but I don't know yet. We'll see. Hopefully I'll have time... Until then, enjoy the story as Rose and 10 test the waters. This is also on tumblr, if you'd like to follow. There's a link on my profile.

* * *

If you'll be my boat  
I'll be your sea  
A depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity  
Ebbing and flowing  
And pushed by a breeze  
I live to make you free

\- Boat and Birds; Gregory and the Hawk

* * *

 _Rose was gripping the lever with strength she didn't even know she had. She had to keep it online, but her hands were slipping. Every millimeter they moved, she felt. Every Dalek that moved past her frightened her, because what if one of them knocked into her and made her let go of the lever? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could do this… she had to do this. She opened her eyes and looked at the Doctor. He was looking at her – only her. She didn't think she'd ever seen him look so afraid. She didn't like it when he looked afraid; if he were afraid, there was usually good reason for it._

 _She had to move her eyes away from his. She looked around, and noticed that the Daleks were flying past them in fewer numbers. Maybe it was almost over… if she could just hold on. As that thought ran through her mind, a Dalek flew past her at such velocity that the air made her lose her grip. She was hanging on by one hand now, and she could hear the Doctor shouting for her as she fought to bring her other arm back to the lever. It was no use; the void was pulling too hard on her._

 _She felt her hand slipping. It slipped more and more until, finally, she let go altogether. She felt herself flying towards the void, the coldness of it seeping out of the wall behind her. She locked eyes with the Doctor, but she could hardly see through her tears. She didn't want to go out like this. She wanted to stay with him forever. Suddenly, she remembered what the beast in the pit had said. The valiant child who will die in battle… Was that coming true now?_

 _She was getting closer and closer, when suddenly, it stopped. She collided with the solid white wall and her vision went fuzzy; she'd definitely have a bump there for a while. She tried desperately to catch her breath, but she was close to hyperventilating. Had she survived? Certainly this wasn't the void. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the ground, her chest still heaving. She barely made out the footsteps rushing towards her before she felt herself being held against someone else's chest._

 _She focused her hearing on the heartbeats; the Doctor was here. They had done it. She was okay, and he was okay, and they were both together still. She didn't know if she were the one trembling, or if it were him, or if it were both of them. All she knew was that they stayed like that, huddled together against the wall, for at least an hour before either one of them dared to move or speak._

 _They did it. They had won._

* * *

Rose was lying in her room on the TARDIS, looking up at the ceiling. She wondered how long she'd been in here, but then remembered that time didn't mean anything at all when they were floating through the vortex. She was tired, but she couldn't go to sleep. Every time she did she was met with a white wall and the noise that the void made when it sucked all the Daleks and Cybermen into it. Sometimes it wasn't just that. Sometimes she would get sucked into the void; sometimes the Doctor would be the one to slip. No matter what, her dreams were less than pleasant anymore.

She knew she was being unreasonable. She had the Doctor, and she didn't regret keeping her promise to stay with him forever. She had the TARDIS, and she loved living here. She gave a small smile as the TARDIS hummed in her mind, as if she heard Rose's thoughts. She knew her mother was safe and sound in the other universe. She could be happy with Pete! Mickey could be happy with his gran, so why couldn't Rose put this behind her? Why couldn't she lose the pit in her stomach?

She sighed and rolled onto her side to look out the window. The TARDIS had made her bedroom look like the one in her mum's flat – at first, it was an exact replica – but after a while, things moved around. It got a tiny bit bigger, and the scene outside her window would change at the TARDIS' whim. Tonight it was a sunset on an alien planet she'd never seen before. It was entirely purple and blue and green; it was lovely. It must've been the TARDIS' attempt to calm her nerves. She must've known that Rose couldn't handle seeing London outside the window right now.

Rose rolled her eyes. What was she doing? This wasn't her. She wasn't someone who would sit around and mope all day long, and she wasn't being fair to the Doctor. He took the TARDIS to see the cosmos, and she was preventing him from doing that. Well, no more. She wouldn't give him any reason to miss out on the adventure he craved. She knew he was giving her time to grieve, but there wasn't anything for her to grieve. Her mother was alive, and so was Mickey. She was living in a time machine with an alien that she was pretty sure she loved, and she had all of time and space at her fingertips.

After a few moments, she stood from the bed and walked to her bathroom. She looked in the mirror; she looked awful. She picked up her hairbrush and ran it through her hair. It wasn't long since she had washed it, but she hadn't brushed it, and she let it dry as she slept. There were enough tangles that she learned her lesson the hard way. She grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet and washed her face. Once her face was dried off, she looked again – _better_ , she thought, _definitely better_. She took a deep breath and let it out in one big huff, and gave a small smile to the image in the mirror. She could do this. She could be okay… she'd need tea to help out with that, though.

* * *

The Doctor was busying himself with tinkering on the TARDIS, while at the same time trying to think of a way to get a message to the other universe. Rose needed to say goodbye to her mother. She needed to see one last time that her mother was alive and well, and Jackie needed to see that Rose was the same; they both deserved that. He just didn't know how to get a message from here to there without tearing a hole in the universe.

If he were being honest, that wasn't the only reason he was busying himself with this. He was trying to be patient and give Rose as much time as she needed. He was the reason she lost her mother; it was the least he could do. The TARDIS gave a reproachful hum at his thoughts, but he ignored her. It was his fault, even if nobody else would acknowledge it. Still, patience wasn't his strong suit; when you have a time machine you don't really need to know patience.

The TARDIS gave his mind a little nudge, telling him to go talk to her. But was she ready? He sighed and climbed out from underneath the console and dusted his hands on his trousers. He walked down the hallway that lead to Rose's bedroom and lightly rapped on the door. There was no answer from inside, so he gently turned the knob in case she was asleep, but when he peeked inside she wasn't there. That was odd; she hadn't left her room in the equivalent of three Earth days.

"Where is she then, old girl?" he muttered to the TARDIS as he walked back to the console room. All the lights in the hallway opposite him lit up, so he made his way down that one. He stopped when he heard things moving around in the kitchen. He gave a mental thanks to the TARDIS and entered the room. Rose was there, pouring her tea into a mug and fixing it the way she liked it. He cleared his throat a little as he moved towards the island in the middle of the room, and she looked up at him with a small smile.

"Hello," she said.

He gave a small nod. "Hello," he replied. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good… yeah," she said. "Want some?" she asked, gesturing towards the tea.

"Sure, yeah." He watched as she fixed his tea and then sat it in front of him. "Rose, we need to talk."

She looked at him, her expression unreadable. "About what?" she asked. He sighed and looked down at the mug in his hands. Before he could answer her, she blurted out; "I'm sorry."

His eyebrows shot to his hairline. " _You're_ sorry?" She nodded, and he said; "For… what?"

She sighed and scowled into her drink. "I've been moping around for… I don't even know how long. It's not fair to you. You love adventure and running – and so do I! I've been keeping us both from fun and adventure."

"Rose, you just lost your mother. It's okay to feel sad. I'd be more worried if you weren't. Besides, I should be apologizing to you."

She shook her head. "Don't," she said. "This isn't your fault Doctor." He opened his mouth to reply, but she held her hand up. "No! Don't do that to yourself. You _always_ put the blame on your shoulders, but you aren't the one who kept me here – I wanted to stay! I'd make the same choice all over again, because this is my home. You and the TARDIS… you're all I need."

"But your mother…"

"…is perfectly fine! She's alive! She's well! We're both big girls, we can handle it! I'll miss her like crazy, and she'll miss me, but we'll _both_ be happy knowing that the other is right where she wants to be. I can't think of _anything_ worse than being trapped in the parallel world without you there with me," she said.

He knew he was staring, but he couldn't help it. Once again, she'd found the right words to make him feel the slightest bit better. It's what she did best. Of course he'd still blame himself, but right now the guilt wasn't as overwhelming. He sighed and took a sip of his tea – which was cooling down more rapidly than he'd like. "I can't just stop blaming myself. I can't change how I feel."

"But it's not your fault. No matter what you think, I don't blame you, and I _never_ will… ever," she said. There was one more phrase she was just dying to add onto the end of that sentence, but she couldn't; not yet, anyway. It wasn't the time. He'd get spooked and he'd wind up sending her home, or putting up even more barriers. No, she'd wait to admit _that_ to him.

"So," he said in a chipper voice. He was trying to change the subject and lighten the mood. "You want to not be sad anymore, right?"

She nodded. "Yes…?"

"I think I have an idea," he said. He stood and rushed from the room. She put the cups in the sink and followed after him. He was gliding around the console, pushing buttons and pulling levers, and she wondered where they were going this time. As if hearing her thoughts, he said; "You need a break."

Her brow furrowed. Surely he wasn't sending her home. "Okay?" she said.

"We both do, if you think about it. I mean, saving worlds and species is great and all – I wouldn't give up that bit. It's the best bit of travelling, don't you think?" He saw her nod and continued. "Still, we won't do much good at saving people if we can't help ourselves once in a while. So, we're going somewhere."

She breathed a small sigh of relief. He wasn't sending her away because he thought he was bad for her. He wasn't using his guilt to push her away. "So, we're taking a vacation?" she asked.

"Yep!" he replied. "Besides, we have a time machine. The emergencies will still be there when we're ready to come back, right?"

She smiled. He was trying to give her a chance to get better. "Right," she said. "Besides, if you think about it – really, think about it – we're probably out there right now fixing the problems."

He cocked his head to the side and said; "I think I see what you mean. Still, that's a headache inducing train of thought, so let's not go there."

She chuckled and said; "Good idea." She moved to the jumpseat and sat cross-legged, watching him move around the console like a breeze. "So, where will this holiday be taking place?"

He looked across the console and winked at her. "It's a surprise. But… I hope you know how to swim." He instructed her to go get her swimsuit and things, and for the first time in a long while, she smiled a genuine smile as she rushed to her closet.

The Doctor continued to pilot the TARDIS to her intended destination, and smiled when he heard her land. She hummed happily in the back of his mind. He had only been to this planet once before, a long time ago, but he knew Rose would love it here. He thought back to the last few Earth weeks that they'd been floating through the vortex. He'd barely seen her smile, and she would stay camped out in her room for days at a time, and he didn't think he'd ever see her without tearstains on her face. He would never say it out loud, but he loved Rose. He hated to see her upset, and the smile she had when he told her they were going somewhere that required a bathing suit was like a breath of fresh air. Maybe she wasn't 100% okay yet, but she would be. If anyone could get through this, it would be his Rose.

* * *

Rose tied the sarong around her waist and hoped that the swimsuit she put on was appropriate. It wasn't exactly a bikini, but it wasn't a one-piece either. Plus, she'd covered as much as she could with the sarong. As she tied her hair up into a ponytail on the top of her head, a thought struck her; she'd be seeing the Doctor in swimming trunks. The thought almost caused her to fall into a fit of laughter. She'd seen him in many different situations, but never had she seen him in something as simple as swimming trunks. She couldn't wait…

She hurried back to the console room where the Doctor was rifling through a trunk he'd brought up from underneath the grating. He was wearing swim trunks, and a t-shirt, and no shoes. She couldn't stop the smile that grew on her face. If the goal was to make her feel better, it was working already. He turned to look at her, and stopped what he was doing.

"Don't laugh," she said.

"Wasn't gonna," he replied. "You look great."

She smiled and looked down. "Considering I'm human?" she teased. He grinned and returned to looking through the trunk. She walked to where he was a knelt in front of him. He had so much stuff in there – it must be bigger on the inside as well. "So, what are you looking for?" she asked.

"Uh…" he didn't say anything else until he grabbed onto a bottle of something and said; "This!"

"A sharable pack of gum?" she asked. "Do I have bad breath?"

He laughed. "No," he said. "This is a surprise. You'll see what it's for soon, but until then… Allons-y!" They both rushed to the door, and she looked at the Doctor in anticipation. "After you," he said.

She took a breath and opened the door. She kept her eyes shut, because this was her favorite part. She wanted to be completely out of the TARDIS before she saw what was out there. She let her other senses rule first. She heard him step out behind her, and she took a breath. It smelled… different. The air smelled slightly floral. It was warm here, too, and she could hear running water. Finally, she opened her eyes, and what she saw took her breath away.

They were standing on a beach, facing the ocean, but that wasn't what shocked her. The landscape was completely white. It wasn't a shocking, artificial white – like a hospital. Instead, it was a warm, comforting white. It reminded her of a picture she'd seen of those houses on an island in Greece. It looked like there were caves carved into the rocky cliff face. A waterfall was pouring over the side and into the lagoon below. The water itself was the bluest blue she'd ever seen – it almost put the TARDIS' blue to shame! Rose smiled at the indignant hum in the back of her head.

"So, what d'ya think?" the Doctor asked.

Rose shook her head, and her mouth hung open like an idiot. "I just… it's…" she couldn't finish the sentence. "Where are we?" she asked.

He smiled at her speechlessness. "We are on a beach known as Laki Lagoon, in the Solar district of the planet Tethys."

"It's beautiful," she breathed.

He looked around. "I suppose it is, yeah."

"So, what are we doing first?" she asked.

"Well, we are definitely going to want to swim, but we'll need to get permission first. To swim without permission is the highest offense on this planet," he explained.

Rose nodded. "Oh, okay then. We don't want to get locked up… again," she teased.

He rolled his eyes. "Get sentenced to prison one time…" he muttered.

She laughed and shook her head as she followed him to wherever they'd get permission from. She slipped her hand into his, and he smiled at her. Things were slowly but surely getting back to normal. As they walked he explained different things to her: why the air smelled floral, how this planet was found, what happened on his first trip here. She still felt the pit in her stomach – the one that made her feel like she could burst into tears at any given moment – but with her hand in his the feeling could be overlooked easier than when she was on her own.

Somehow, she knew, things would be alright.


	2. No Dreams

Hi everyone! Here's chapter 2! Reviews are much appreciated! :D

* * *

I know I've felt like this before, but now I'm feeling it even more,  
Because it came from you.  
And then I open up and see the person falling here is me,  
A different way to be.

-Dreams; The Cranberries

* * *

The Doctor and Rose both took their time walking to the small town a mile or so from where they had landed. Apparently this is where they would get permission to go swimming. The houses were painted bright and happy colors; corals and yellows seemed to be the favorite choice. It looked like something you'd see in a travel magazine. It was one of the most beautiful places Rose had ever been to.

She looked to the Doctor. "So, where do we get permission for swimming?" she asked.

The Doctor looked around for a minute or so, before he finally found a small shack. "Ah! There we go," he said, leading Rose to the stand.

The man in the booth was quite fit. He was tanned and he had hair that almost matched Rose's. His eyes were a color Rose had never seen before; they were purple around the outside, while fading to Green as they got towards the center. When he turned, she noticed that he had gills on his neck, and translucent scales along his jawline – like sideburns. She almost couldn't stop staring. "Welcome to Laki Lagoon! I'm Pelagius," he said exuberantly.

Rose grinned at his accent. It was what she would call 'California surfer dude' accent. The Doctor was smiling as well. "We're just here to get permission to swim," he said.

The man nodded. "Cool… Of course, you'll only be able to attend the night swim," he explained.

"Why's that then?" Rose asked.

"Tonight's the celebration of the moon, dude!" he explained. "If you haven't noticed, it's mostly empty right now. Everyone's sleeping – saving up their energy for tonight. There'll be big bonfires and dancing, and everyone will be swimming! Well, those with permission…"

"What bars someone from permission?" the Doctor asked.

"If they don't know how to swim, or if they've been in trouble recently, or if they have a beef with the royal family…" he said. "You two don't fit into that category, do you?"

They both shook their heads. "Nope," the Doctor said.

He shrugged and said; "Works for me. Here y'go," he said, handing them each a pearl bracelet.

Rose took it and put it on. "What's this for then?" she asked.

"You have to wear it to show you have permission to swim," he explained. "Otherwise the royal family will be severely pissed."

Rose and the Doctor shared a look and shrugged. They walked through the town, but just like Pelagius had said, it was completely empty. It looked like a ghost town. The sun beamed down on them, and Rose welcomed the warmth. She had been on the TARDIS for so long, and it tended to be a bit chilly in the ship. The Doctor suggested they return to the beach and wait for nightfall. Rose agreed and they headed back to the where the TARDIS was parked.

The Doctor ran inside for a moment and came back out with his coat. He spread it out on the ground underneath the shade of a palm tree. Rose smiled and lounged next to him. If she were being honest, she didn't even need a fancy location. Yeah, travelling to strange places was great, but right now just being with the Doctor was enough for her to feel even a bit better. She listened closely as he told her the story of the first time he came here – many faces ago. Still, the lack of sleep she'd been getting must have caught up with her, because she felt herself slip into sleep only thirty minutes into the story.

* * *

The Doctor was so caught up in his story that he didn't notice Rose had stopped paying attention. He had moved on from the story about his last trip to this planet, and switched to a story about the time he went deep sea diving in the Pacific. "And then, I almost got caught in the biggest school of fish I'd ever seen, and of course they were swimming away from a shark…"

He glanced down at Rose and saw that she was asleep and cuddled into his side. He moved so that his arm was wrapped around her shoulders, and she stirred so that her arm was wrapped around his waist. He was starting to wish he'd chosen something more comfortable to lean against than a bloody tree, but he would deal with it. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. She hadn't been sleeping well, and she'd need all her energy if they were going to have fun at the lunar celebration.

He could probably do with a short power nap as well, but his thoughts wouldn't let him doze off. He kept thinking back to what Rose had said earlier. She didn't blame him and she never would… but she couldn't be certain of that, could she? Rose was brilliant – she really was one of the more clever humans he'd met – but even she couldn't be certain of how she'd feel months down the road. At some point, she'd realize how everything that happened was his fault, and she'd hate him for it.

Or, worse, she wouldn't, and he'd still have to leave her anyway. It was inevitable; he had told her as much before. He wouldn't leave her behind – never her – but one day she wouldn't be able to travel with him anymore. One day she wouldn't want to. She was human; they needed domestics, and that was something he could never give her.

The TARDIS sent him a signal of disapproval, but he brushed it away. She tried speaking to him again, but he tuned her out. All he caught was something about 'no ordinary human'. As if there was any such thing as an _ordinary_ human. The Doctor really wasn't in any mood to think about this right now. He wanted to be as happy as he could, and he wanted to help make Rose better; he didn't need to worry about his inner demons right now. He was sure there'd be plenty of time for that later.

Instead, he closed his eyes and, without realizing, wrapped his arms a little tighter around Rose. He was asleep in moments, and for once, it was dreamless.

* * *

The first thought on Rose Tyler's mind when she woke up was that she was insanely uncomfortable. She opened her eyes and saw that she was resting her head on the Doctor's chest. That wasn't the uncomfortable part – she quite liked that, actually. The uncomfortable part was that she had fallen asleep on the ground, and now her shoulder hurt whenever she tried to move it. Still, she wasn't in any hurry to move just yet. She took her chance and nuzzled further into the Doctor's arms, which tightened around her ever so slightly.

She didn't know how long she'd been asleep. The sky was darker, and there were a few stars showing up. Still, she wasn't sure how days and nights worked here. It could have been hours or mere minutes since she fell asleep. Rose felt rested, though. It was a strange feeling, because it felt like she had been without a good night's sleep for such a long time, due to the nightmares she'd have when she slept. Now she felt more awake than she had in the past few weeks.

She was about to close her eyes and get a few more minutes of rest when she heard a loud commotion behind her. It sounded like a large crowd of people cheering and someone talking over a loudspeaker. The Doctor was startled out of his sleep and sat up quickly, looking around for anything that might be considered danger. When he saw that they were safe, he stood and turned to help Rose off the ground. She wondered if he were going to mention them sleeping together under the stars – and make it awkward, like he had a tendency to do at times – or if he would just ignore it and try to put it on the backburner for now. When he started talking a mile a minute, she assumed the latter.

"So, goodnight then," he said, gesturing to the starlit sky around them.

Rose couldn't help but grin. "Goodnight," she said.

Before the Doctor could respond, Pelagius walked past them. "C'mon dudes, the fun's this way!" he said.

They watched him rush towards the crowd, and the Doctor smiled at her. "Well then, are you ready to party?" he asked.

He held his arm out towards her, and she looped her arm through his. "Let's go, dude," she replied with that signature smile of hers.

The Doctor laughed as they made their way towards the crowd. When they got there, they saw somewhat of a makeshift stage set up in front of the shoreline. There was a tanned, shirtless man up on the stage, trying to quiet the crowd so he wouldn't have to shout for them to hear him. He had scales and gills too, like Pelagius, only the man on the stage had golden scales. Rose was enjoying this planet already, what with all the shirtless men running around. She wondered if the Doctor was ever going to take off his shirt, but then she shook her head. She shouldn't be thinking about _that_ right now.

The man on the stage cleared his throat and held the microphone to his mouth. "Welcome visitors and natives alike!" he said. His accent was less "surfer guy" but it still wasn't what she was used to. "I am Prince Kamui, and I want to extend my father's most heartfelt apologies that he could not be here this evening." The crowd sounded displeased as they chanted something that Rose didn't quite catch, because the TARDIS hadn't translated. "I thank you all for your wishes of good health. I promise, you'll all get to swim later, but you know the drill: no swimming until after midnight! Until then, we'll dance and eat and party, and then at midnight we'll all start the swim."

The crowd cheered and Prince Kamui dismissed everyone, and Rose heard music start up from speakers set up in the trees surrounding the beach, and everyone cheered and began partying. Rose pulled the Doctor out onto the sand, and they danced as long as they were able. This was a fun party, and Rose was happy the Doctor had brought her here. The pain of losing her mother was starting to ease up, and the knot in the pit of her stomach was easily forgotten.

* * *

The Doctor didn't know how long he and Rose had danced to what sounded like 60's era beach music, but eventually she thought they should take a break. He knew she was bound to be a bit puckish – all she'd had was tea in the past twenty-four hours. They were having a beach barbeque, and the Doctor told Rose to go mingle while he got them both a plate. The smell of the barbeque made his mouth water as he stood in line, and he hoped the line would hurry up and move so he could return to Rose. He shouldn't be alone with his thoughts for too long.

The person behind him must have noticed his impatience, because he heard them chuckle when he started bouncing around. He turned to look behind him and noticed a petite brunette, with a dimpled smile and the biggest brown eyes he'd ever seen. Honestly, she looked like a child's doll. "I guess you're not one for waiting in line, huh?" she asked.

He gave her a sheepish grin and said; "Well, I guess patience isn't my strong suit."

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You're going to be a bit disappointed, then. Those are our class chaperones at the front of the line. They never make up their minds quickly; they take forever for the simplest decisions."

"You're here on a school trip, then?" he asked.

She nodded. "Oh yes. Well, it's more of a school club trip. I'm in university right now, and I'm part of the Culture Club. We travel to learn about the most interesting cultures in the universe," she said proudly.

The Doctor hummed. "Sounds interesting enough. I suppose the swimming and fun-in-the-sun is all a bonus, then?" he teased.

She laughed. "Tethys' Celebration of the Moon is one of the most famous celebrations in this system. Of course we'd want to visit, and they only let so many visitors in each year. We were lucky to even get invited! Plus, everyone knows what happens at midnight."

He looked confused. "What?"

She laughed. "At the stroke of midnight, the moon lights up in a glow, and everyone kisses the person they love. It's said, if you kiss your loved one at midnight, you're destined to be together forever."

The Doctor was going to ask if she had someone she loved with her, but an argument broke out towards the front of the line. The two chaperones were in a heated debate about something the Doctor couldn't quite make out. The brunette girl sighed and shook her head. "I'd better go break that up before they ruin the party for everyone else. It was nice meeting you…"

"Doctor," he replied. "You can call me the Doctor."

She smiled and turned to break up the fight between the chaperones, and he turned to go to a different table. He had a feeling that, while she seemed like a nice enough girl, the two people who were meant to be in charge of a group of university students wouldn't be ending their argument any time soon. He wanted to get back to Rose as soon as possible and continue their partying.

* * *

Rose had been drifting through the crowd, looking at all the different people gathered for the celebration. She loved this part of coming to a new planet. Yes, saving different people was great, but meeting new people was what she loved – the domestics, the Doctor called it. She loved mingling, and she was quite good at it, if she did say so herself. Already she'd seen couples snogging each other senseless where they thought no one could see, and single people walking around and hitting on other single people. She'd even gotten hit on a few times by two different scaly men – it was very interesting.

Now, though, she was just standing at the edge of the shore, letting the water lap up against her bare toes. The people behind her were still partying and dancing to the music, but she let it fade away. Her thoughts were too loud. She kept wishing that she could give her mother a call – or even Mickey – and let them know what was going on. She wanted to tell them all about this beautiful planet, and the people with their scales, and how she misses them like crazy and wishes they could be here. She wishes she could just hear her mum's voice one more time. She has a voicemail on her cellphone that she had been listening to on repeat since her mother got trapped in the parallel world, but she knew that wasn't helping her heal at all.

She heard someone step behind her, and she figured the Doctor had found his way back. "The line must've been long," she commented.

"They are. It took me forever to get these chips," the voice behind her said, but it wasn't the Doctor. She turned to look behind her. It was a young man she didn't recognize. His hair was sort of curly, and brown, and it stuck up around his head. He looked nice, but in a kid sort of way – which was strange, because he had to be only two or three years younger than her. He had a plate of chips in his hand.

"Oh… sorry. I thought you were someone else," she said, keeping her distance.

The young man nodded. "I figured," he replied.

"Sorry to be rude, but who are you?" she asked, trying not to sound too suspicious.

"Oh, right! Sorry. You can call me Jamie," he said. "I wasn't trying to be a creeper or anything; you just looked lonely."

She smiled. "I'm Rose," she said.

He gave her a small nod. "Nice to meet ya, Rose. Chip?" he asked. She shook her head and he shrugged before popping one in his mouth. "So, what're you doing standin' all by yourself out here?" he asked.

"Just thinking," she sighed. "My… friend is here too, but he's probably stuck standing in the really long food line."

He nodded. "Yeah, my girlfriend decided to try the whole waiting in line thing. I kind of jumped in front and took my plate," he said sheepishly.

She smiled. "Well aren't you a rebel," she said. He laughed when she took a chip off the plate and ate it. "So, what brings you and your girlfriend to Tethys?" she asked, hoping she remembered the right name of the planet.

"We're part of this club at our university – the Culture Club. It's not a very good name, which I told them, but they didn't think I was being very clever. The club basically researches and learns as much as we can about different cultures throughout the universe, and then we throw this big get-together at the end of the year – across the universe in 80 days. Anyway, our club got invited to Tethys' celebration, and we couldn't just turn it down," he explained.

He talked very quickly, and tried to fit as many words as he possibly could into one breath. "Well, that sounds fun."

"Yeah, it is. I really enjoy it. I'm glad my girlfriend talked me into joining. Truth be told, I thought she'd never stop smiling when we got invited here. They have an interesting custom."

"What's that then?" Rose asked.

"Well, at midnight everyone stops what they're doing and kissing the one they love. If they do that, they're supposedly destined to stay together forever. What about you? What brings you here?" he asked.

She took in a breath and sighed. "Well, my friend and I travel a lot," she said. She didn't want to give too much away. They weren't exactly invited – they just sort of showed up. "He meets a lot of people, so he's bound to get an invite to at least one fun social event."

"Would this friend happen to be about so-tall with spiky hair and a scowl on his face?" Jamie asked.

Rose frowned. "Uh, I guess. Why?" she asked.

"Because he's walking over here."

Rose turned to see the Doctor walking towards them, looking none too pleased. He had a plate in each hand – each piled with food – and Rose couldn't help but wonder what got him in a mood so quickly. He finally reached Rose and Jamie and handed Rose one of the plates. "I am never doing that again," he said petulantly. Rose grinned – he wasn't angry, just annoyed.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I kept getting bumped into by an elderly woman, and there were people arguing at the front of the line, and it just wasn't something I'd care to go through again," he explained. He finally seemed to notice Jamie standing behind Rose. "Oh, hello. Who's this then?" he asked.

Jamie held his hand out. "I'm Jamie," he said. "And you are…?"

"I'm the Doctor."

"Just the Doctor?" Jamie asked with a smirk.

The Doctor nodded. "That's me!"

Jamie nodded and gave a chuckle before saying; "Well, it was nice to meet you both. Enjoy the party! I've gotta go find my girlfriend," he said.

Both Rose and the Doctor waved goodbye and watched him leave, before returning to the plates of food in their hands. They spent the rest of their time talking – and dancing – and waiting for midnight to arrive. Neither one knew that the other was planning to kiss them at midnight, no matter what the outcome would be. They weren't exactly superstitious, but this was one tradition that neither of them were going to miss out on.


	3. Breathless

**AN: Thanks to batistaangel15 for her awesome reviews! She has a neato story that I am absolutely adoring right now, so you should go check it out. :) Thanks for reading!**

* * *

"Stop.  
Stop time.  
Stop the world.  
Stop everything for the moment he crosses the room

and pulls me into his arms and pins me against the wall

and I'm spinning and standing and not even

breathing but I'm alive so alive so very very alive  
and he's kissing me."

— _Ignite Me_ by Tahereh Mafi

* * *

The countdown to midnight began sooner than Rose thought it would. The sun had only been gone completely for a few moments before a voice came over the speakers telling everyone to look up at the sky and start the countdown to midnight, when they would honor the moon and all of her glory. Rose and the Doctor stood off to the side of the crowd, close to the water, and he had his arms wrapped around her. They were both alternating between looking at the sky and looking at each other – each one hoping that the other didn't notice.

 _Ten…_

The countdown had begun, but Rose and the Doctor caught each other staring, and neither one could remove their eyes from the other's. Rose could vaguely hear the countdown.

 _Nine…_

This was it. She was going to do it, and damn the consequences. She had to get this out of her system – even if it were the only time she'd ever kiss him of her own free will.

 _Eight…_

Damn Cassandra for stealing her first kiss with the Doctor. She couldn't even really remember it. All she remembered was a vague memory of his lips feeling soft against hers.

 _Seven…_

His eyes kept alternating between her eyes and her lips. At least, she thought they did. Maybe she was misreading the signals, but she didn't think she was. How could she misread them that badly?

 _Six…_

Rose had no clue what the Doctor was thinking. If she had even an inkling that he planned to kiss her as well, she'd probably say screw the countdown and lunge at him as quickly as she could. Thank goodness for the countdown, though. She needed it to build up her courage.

* * *

 _Five…_

The Doctor couldn't keep his eyes off her lips. They were a lovely pink, and slightly parted, and they looked so soft. Could he do this? Would it make things weird? He should probably stop staring at her mouth now.

 _Four…_

Rose was staring straight into his eyes. How did she do that? It was like she could see right into the very pit of him, but she wasn't running scared at the darkness she knew lay within. Her eyes were brown like his, but they were bright and not at all hard like his were. Her eyes melted him, beautiful and warm.

 _Three…_

The countdown was ending… it was now or never. He had to decide. Was he going to do it? Yes. He would regret it if he didn't, and he already had too many regrets to count. He didn't need another added onto that long list. He would definitely kiss her, and he would make it a good one, just in case he would never get to do it again.

 _Two…_

Would she kiss him back? Would she push him away? Would she demand to go home after he kissed her? No, he didn't think she'd do that. Still, she always found ways of surprising him. It didn't matter. He was doing this, and the time was now.

 _One…_

* * *

Neither one of them knew who moved first. They met somewhere in the middle and their lips collided in a frenzied attempt to send their message to the other. They couldn't speak the words, but they wanted the other to know. _I hope the superstitions on this planet are true…_ their kisses said. They wanted to be the ones destiny put together forever. Neither one ever wished to be without the other. They loved one another, so much, even if the only way they could tell each other was through this kiss.

Rose felt the electricity moving through her body as she deepened the kiss, and he responded in kind. A kiss that had started out desperate and wild had turned soft and warm. It wasn't what she had expected from him. She vaguely remembered his kiss when Cassandra took over her body, but he was surprised then. It had been too quick for her to really get a grasp on what it was like. His lips were soft – just as she had expected – but they weren't warm. As a Timelord his body was always a bit colder than human body temperature. He was warming up rather quickly, though.

Her hands moved to his hair, and as she pulled slightly, he gave a soft growl – almost too soft for her to hear – and she sighed into his mouth. Eventually, she needed to breathe. As much as she didn't want to, she had to end the kiss. She desperately wished that she had two hearts and _superior timelord physiology_ , because she got the feeling that he could have kept the kiss going for a whole lot longer if he wanted to. She reluctantly broke away – slowly – to catch her breath. She felt his forehead rest on hers as he too breathed heavily.

Her hands were still tangled in his hair, and his hands were still resting on her hips, and she hadn't felt this content in a very long time. She let her eyes flutter open as her breathing slowed substantially, and she was met with his eyes staring back at her; his gaze so intense she almost lost her breath again. The moment was still there. If she just moved her lips forward a little, they could start kissing again, and she had no doubts about whether or not he would reciprocate this time.

Still, it wasn't meant to be, as a whole crowd of people rushed past them with a shout of glee. Everyone with permission to swim was running into the water. Rose let her hands slowly untangle from his hair and move to his chest as she placed one over each of his hearts. His eyes closed again, and he stood up a little straighter so that their foreheads were no longer touching.

"There you are dudes!" a voice said behind them. Rose wasn't really thinking straight at the moment, but she knew it sounded familiar. It was the surfer-dude… what was his name? Pelagius? Honestly, she didn't really care right now. She was pissed at him for interrupting the moment. "It's time for the night swim!" he said as he rushed into the water with a girl following close behind him.

The Doctor and Rose looked after him for a moment before Rose turned back to look at him. He cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly where he stood. "Rose…" he began.

She gave him a small smile. "Yes?" she asked.

"Uh…" he looked around nervously. Oh no, was he regretting it? He seemed to enjoy the kissing, so why would he be regretting it? Did he think she was regretting it? Before she could wonder too much, he said; "Would you like to go swimming now?"

She sighed. "Yeah. That's what we came here to do, after all," she said with a smile.

He smiled back and said; "Great! Let's go!" He stopped to dig something out of this pocket first, and when he pulled his hand back out he had the sharable pack of gum.

Rose rolled her eyes. "You couldn't have told me I had bad breath _before_ I kissed you?" she asked.

He looked confused. "What?" he asked, then realized. "Oh, no. This is specially formulated gum from Kepler-23f in the 43rd century. The people there mostly make their living from underwater farming – well, most of the planet is water. Well, I say water, it's more like…"

"Doctor!" Rose said with a grin.

He smiled. "Right! Just start chewing this once you get underwater, and don't spit it out until you're done swimming. You'll be able to breathe underwater for at least an hour."

She took the little cube of gum and looked at it, then back at the Doctor, then back to the gum. Was he being serious right now? She knew what he was doing with the sudden urge to swim – he was trying to avoid talking about what just happened. She wouldn't push it, for now. She wanted to enjoy herself too. Still, she needed a way to let him know that she had no regrets about kissing him, while not making herself seem too obvious.

She smirked as she removed her sarong and tossed it to the side. "Y'know, I could have put this gum to even better use if you'd have given it to me earlier," she said.

"How's that then?" he replied, distracted by attempting to take his own shirt off.

She chuckled and helped him with his shirt, and when it was off she said; "I could have kissed you much longer with this." She popped the gum in her mouth before walking away with a grin on her face.

* * *

Nine centuries was a long time – a very long time – and the Doctor had been around for all of it. He was old, and he was used to seeing some shocking things. He didn't like to make bold statements and certainties unless he was absolutely sure he was right, and he knew he was right about this: Rose Tyler would never stop surprising him. She would always find a way to shock him somehow. He had expected her to make a stand and want to talk right then and there, but here she was, giving him time to think but flirting with him at the same time.

He watched, admiring her as she dove into the water, not even bothering to wait for him. She was being a tease on purpose now. Still, he didn't hate this recent turn of events. He walked slowly towards the water, putting his own piece of gum in his mouth – the same mouth that had just kissed Rose Tyler. He smiled as he walked into the water, and tried looking for her, but his mind was elsewhere. He couldn't help but think back to his kiss with her. He definitely wanted to do that again; whether or not he should was another matter entirely.

"Y'know," a voice said beside him, "most of the time, girls have more fun swimming when their boyfriends join them."

He looked down to see the young college student who had stood behind him in line earlier. "Oh, she's not my…"

"Oh save it," the girl said with a teasing smile. "Maybe you've not had that talk yet, but she's most definitely your girlfriend. The whole beach saw that kiss."

The Doctor must have been blushing. He hadn't meant to be the center of attention – not that he usually cared one way or the other – but that was his first real kiss with Rose. He would rather it had been private and just something between them. He didn't reply.

"Mia," the young man he'd seen earlier said, walking towards them. What was his name? Jamie? "C'mon, don't tease him."

She smirked. "I wasn't being mean. I was just telling him that he should go swim before his girl finds someone else to see the luminescent coral with."

That did it for the Doctor. He didn't care if he looked foolish. He ran straight into the waves and into the water. He came to this place to swim with Rose and get her mind off of losing her mother, and that's exactly what he'd do. He swam underwater for a while, but didn't see Rose anywhere. It wasn't because it was dark out. At night, there was luminescent coral and other sea life that lit up everything underwater with vibrant yellows, and purples, and pinks. It was beautiful!

He couldn't focus on that, though. He was too busy focusing on finding Rose. She couldn't have just disappeared. Of course, she is incredibly jeopardy-friendly. As he was going to swim up to look on the surface for her, he saw a familiar pair of legs beneath the waves. He swam up right beside her and popped up out of the water to splash her in the face.

"Hello!" he said.

She let out a squeal of surprise and then splashed him back. "Rude!" she said, but he could tell she was trying her hardest not to laugh.

"That's me! Rude and not ginger," he teased. "Not that I want to tell you how to spend your night swimming, but gripping a rock for dear life isn't how I'd do it."

She rolled her eyes and wore an indignant expression. "I was just trying to get the hang of swimming in an ocean," she explained. "It's a lot different than a pool, but the water closer to the shore was too crowded."

Oh… he forgot to tell her exactly how to breathe underwater. "Well, that's why I'm here. Let me help you," he said, holding out his hands.

She looked at him and furrowed her brows. He couldn't help but to admire her right now. Her hair was wet and sticking to her head and face, but the yellow color caught the light of the moon and almost glowed. She slowly let go of the rock with one hand, and then another, and he pulled her away from it. Her expression wasn't frightened, but she was holding onto his hands for dear life, and her feet were kicking wildly under the water.

"Don't kick so much," he said. "That's a good way to tire yourself."

She nodded and tried to slow the movement of her feet. "Is this better?" she asked. He nodded and she said; "Okay, what now?"

"Now, you're going to keep hold of my hands and we're going to go under the water. You've still got the gum, so you'll be able to breathe. You'll breathe in through your nose slowly – as slowly as you can at first, to get used to it – and then you'll breathe out through your nose. Do not open your mouth, or the gum might fall out," he explained.

She nodded again. "Okay, let's do this!"

He smiled and pulled her down underneath the water with him. Her hands loosened on his wrists ever so slightly, and he could see her chest moving up and down in very shallow motions, before eventually evening out to a normal breathing pattern. Rose had always been a fast learner. It was something that he liked about her. After ten minutes of him leading them around, she finally got the nerve to let go of his hand, and swam off in front of him.

He followed, and they just played under the water for quite some time. She was absolutely stunning underneath the waves. Once she got the hang of it, she moved like a fish through the water. She was graceful like a dancer, and her hair billowed around her like a mermaids. He wished he could have a portrait of this moment to look at forever, but he knew that no painting – or even a photograph – could do her justice. Nothing could ever match the beauty of his Rose.

* * *

Rose and the Doctor had spent almost an hour swimming under the water, like mermaids, moving through the waves like a hot knife moves through butter. If she were being honest, she would have to say that this is probably her favorite place he's ever taken her. It was beautiful, she met some nice people, and she was _breathing under water_. It was so peaceful under the waves. She could happily live in the water for the rest of time, she thought. It gave her time to think, and she didn't know if she had ever seen a time when the Doctor looked this happy.

Eventually the effects of the gum wore off, though, and she had to come back up for air. She suspected that the Doctor – with his superior Timelord biology – could stay underwater for much longer than she could. Still, when she came up for air, so did he. They stayed away from the shoreline, because that's where most of the people were, and they didn't want to deal with the crowd; even though it was steadily thinning out as people returned to the sand for a quick rest.

She and the Doctor were both smiling happily when they finally got to the surface. "So," he said. "What did you think?"

"That. Was. Amazing," she said. She could feel her cheeks hurting from how much she was smiling. "Thank you!" She attacked him in a hug and he almost went back under the water from the force of it.

She felt his arms circle around her waist and pull her closer. She looked at him, and saw that he was smiling softly. Before she knew it, he had leaned down and captured her lips with his. It wasn't like the kiss on the beach. That had held a bit of desperation mixed with desire, but this… it was warm. It filled her entire body with the best type of fire she had ever felt. Even in the chilly water, she felt like she was smoldering. This was slow, and sensual, and incredibly… _amazing_.

He broke away all too soon, and backed away from her slightly. He didn't look upset or guarded, as she had expected him to. "Okay," he said with a breath.

"Doctor?" she asked.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I just… had to do that again."

She grinned. "I don't mind," she said softly.

He paused for a moment, and looked down. "We should talk about what happened. If I don't do it now, I'll talk myself out of it, and then I'll just keep wondering if it was the right thing to do, and I just…"

"Doctor, breathe," Rose said. "I don't regret it, Doctor. I just want to get that out there now. You can try to push me away, and you can put up walls and barriers and tell yourself that it was a mistake, but I _do not_ regret it."

He looked up at her with furrowed brows. "I don't regret it either, Rose. I was more worried that…"

She hated it when he paused like that. She huffed out a breath. "What were you worried about Doctor?" she asked, moving towards him to put a hand on his arm.

"Rose, this trip was meant to help you be happy again. I don't want you to see that kiss as just a tactic to make you feel better. I… it wasn't about that," he said.

She nodded. "I didn't think it was," she whispered.

"Alright," he said. "But I wasn't done. Rose, you're still not okay. You're still vulnerable, emotionally. I don't regret kissing you. Hell, I've wanted to for… a while. But, I shouldn't have kissed you until you were 100% okay."

"Doctor, I'm never going to be exactly like I was. I'm always going to be just a little bit sad, and that's okay. Sometimes, when things change you, you just have to accept it. As for me being emotionally vulnerable… well – you've known me a long time now. You know, better than most, that if I have a problem with something I'm not just going to let it happen. If I didn't want you to kiss me – or if I didn't want to kiss you back – I wouldn't have done it," she explained.

He gave a small grin. "I would've ended up smacked into my next regeneration," he said.

She laughed. He was right. If she hadn't wanted kissed, a good smack would've been all the message he needed, and she could dish out a slap just as good as her mother. "Doctor, we've been dancing around for a long time. I love you, and I've wanted to kiss you for a long time. But, if you don't want to do it anymore then I won't push you to."

"You what?" he asked. She looked confused and he said; "You said you love me."

Her eyes widened a little. Had she said that out loud? She hadn't meant to, and it just kind of slipped out. Oh well… there's no going back now. She didn't know why he was shocked, though. She thought she was the most obvious person in the world. "Well, yeah," she said. "I thought it was fairly obvious."

"Yeah, well… I have a lot of stuff in my head. Sometimes I can misread things," he said.

She was feeling nervous. Her stomach was doing flips. Was he hedging around the topic, or… what was he doing? She wasn't sure. This was new territory. She decided teasing would be a safe direction to go in; keep it light. "Yeah, I kinda caught on to _that_ a while ago. Anything less subtle than a gun can't get your attention." He smiled and she continued speaking. "So that's okay then; that I love you?"

"Yes," he said, without hesitation, then let out a breathy chuckle. "Yes, it's perfectly okay. It's more than okay. It's… great. Quite right, too." She rolled her eyes playfully. He could be so full of himself sometimes. "And I suppose now's a good a time as any for me to say it. Rose Tyler… I–"

His sentence was cut off when he let out a yell. "Doctor? What's wrong?" she asked. "Doctor!" He brought his arm up above the water, and there was something latched onto it. He grabbed it and threw it off, but his arm was still in bad shape. It was bleeding profusely, staining the water around them. "What was that? What's going on?" she asked, trying her best not to panic.

"We have to go, now. You have to get me back to the TARDIS – to the sickbay – before I pass out. That thing was poisonous," he said. She didn't hesitate. She supported him with one arm and swam with her other as he fought to stay awake. "It's one of the most deadly creatures in this solar system."

Her heartrate picked up speed. His words were slurring now, which definitely wasn't good. How fast was the poison? It must move faster through his system since he has two hearts. Maybe she should keep him talking. "So, do you have anti-venom for it on the TARDIS?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "TARDIS have almost kinds of every anti-venom," he slurred.

Oh this was seven million different kinds of not good. They had finally made it to the shore, and she could see the TARDIS from here. She tried to help the Doctor as best as she could to the TARDIS, but he was stumbling too much. She was halfway there when the Doctor let out a strangled cry and fell to the sand. "No… no you don't. C'mon," she said, trying to haul him up. "Y'know, you're not as light as you look."

He wasn't saying anything. He had passed out already, and she still wasn't close enough to the TARDIS. What would she do now?


	4. I Want You Safe

**AN: So this chapter was originally going to be very long, but I think I found a good stopping point. Reviews are always aprreciated, just so you know, and thanks again to the reviewer I already have!**

* * *

"The emotion that can break your heart is sometimes the very one that heals it..."  
― Nicholas Sparks

* * *

With some extreme effort on her part, she was finally able to get the Doctor the rest of the way to the TARDIS without having to drag him through the sand. She was able to lift his torso off the ground so only his feet drug in the sand. When she finally got him to the TARDIS, she despaired at how she was going to get him up the ramp. She was so damn worried and scared; she didn't want to let him down. Plus, he had to be in pain. She caught a glimpse of his injured arm, and saw that black lines – like veins – were spreading out from the bite.

"Shit," she swore.

Her determination to get him up the ramp was renewed, and she got it done. The TARDIS buzzed in her mind, and she saw a door appear to her left. She mentally thanked the TARDIS a million times as she pulled him into the sickbay and managed to get him up on the hospital bed. Once he was there, she realized that she had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to do. She didn't know where anything was, and most of this technology was so alien to her.

Without warning, her mind was filled with what sounded like whispering, and she herself almost passed out from the intensity. She was panting by the time the whisper became bearable. She was finally able to focus on what it was saying.

 _Mauve…_

Mauve? What the hell did that mean? She looked around the sickbay and finally saw something mauve, standing out like a sore thumb against all the white in the room. She ran to the cabinet and opened it so fast some of the bottles inside fell out. She bent to pick them up, but the TARDIS hummed loudly. She stood back up and faced the cabinet.

"Okay, girl. Which is it, then?" she asked. She let her hand hover over the top shelf. "Is it this shelf?" she asked. The whispering began again, confirming that was the correct shelf. Then the whisper started saying _Red…_

There was only one red bottle on that shelf, thank goodness. She grabbed it and went over to the Doctor. "Okay, where do I put this? Does he ingest it, or is it topical… uh… hum once for mouth, twice for arm." The TARDIS hummed twice. "Thanks. Hum again when I need to stop pouring."

She started pouring the medicine all around the bite, and the bottle was halfway emptied when the TARDIS hummed sharply in her mind. She stopped pouring and went to look for dressing to put on it. One of the cabinet doors behind her flew open, and she went to it. Inside was the gauze and wrapping she needed, so she grabbed it and began dressing the wound. Once it was all wrapped, the mauve cabinet opened again.

She walked to the cabinet and looked inside. "Okay, what now?" she asked. The whispering filled her mind once more. _Silver bottle_ … it said. She saw two. "Which one?" she asked. _Circle…_

She took the circular bottle with the language of the Timelords on the outside. It didn't translate, so she didn't really know what it was. The whisper told her to have him swallow three drops of the liquid inside, so she sat him up a bit and tilted his head back. She dropped three drops exactly into his mouth and then made sure he swallowed it.

"Okay, now what?" she asked. The TARDIS didn't answer. "Hello? Is that all I needed to do?" she asked. There was a hum, followed by a whisper that said _thank you, good job._ Rose smiled and let out a sigh of relief. "So he'll be okay then?" she asked. The TARDIS gave a happy sounding hum, and Rose let her shoulders sag in relief.

She cleaned up all the medical supplies – putting them back in their correct cabinets – and found a chair to sit next to the Doctor's bed. There's no way she could leave right now… or so she thought. The Doctor was still soaked from swimming – and so was she, but she wasn't too worried about that right now. His shirt and the rest of their things were still on the beach outside. She needed to go get them before someone took them, but she couldn't just leave him.

"Will he be out for long?" she asked. The TARDIS hummed to say yes, and she sighed. "I need to get his coat and shirt…" The TARDIS gave her a mental nudge. "I'll be right back."

Rose ran outside to gather the Doctor's coat from underneath the tree they napped underneath, and she left to find his shirt and her sarong. It took longer than it should have. They had been moved around and stepped on, and she spent longer than she wanted looking for them. When she finally found them, she rushed back to the TARDIS, avoiding anyone who wanted to talk. She hated to seem rude, but the Doctor needed her more.

She didn't go straight to the sickbay when she got inside. She went to his room and got him some pajamas, and a towel to dry him off, as well as blankets. When she got back to the sickbay, she expected him to be stirring, but he hadn't moved a muscle. She got to work drying him off, trying her best not to look at certain places, because she was sure he wouldn't appreciate her seeing him naked. After he was completely dry and dressed in his pajamas, she covered him up with blankets and tucked him in.

She sat in the hardback chair next to his bed and held his hand. She was exhausted. How was it that – no matter what – their most beautiful and most fun trips always manage to turn deadly? She didn't understand, and it wasn't fair. She looked at his arm again. The black veins that had been snaking up his arm had disappeared, and she could barely see them when she lifted the bandage. She let her head rest on the edge of the bed as a few tears escaped her eyes. The Doctor was right when he said she wasn't okay. She still missed her mother, and now she had almost lost the Doctor.

* * *

The last thing the Doctor remembered before passing out was searing pain in his arm and the feeling of his chest beginning to constrict. The venom was burning through his body. Once he woke, he was disoriented. His insides weren't burning anymore – which was good – but he felt exhausted. He wondered how long he'd been unconscious, and how he got inside the TARDIS when he had passed out on the beach.

He tried to sit up, but he was wrapped up like a burrito in a cocoon of blankets. His injured arm was out of the blanket, and he felt a comfortable weight in his hand. He looked down to see Rose resting her head on him, and holding his hand. He smiled and did his best to wriggle loose from the burrito-like blankets, digging in his pockets for the sonic. He couldn't find it, and realized he was wearing pajamas. So she had changed him, then. Well, she had done it once before after he had regenerated. Still, it didn't stop the tips of his ears from reddening.

He looked at his bandaged arm. It felt much, much better. He could move it without feeling too much pain. It just felt like a normal animal bite now – sore, but not burning. But, hang on… how did she know what to give him? He needed a very specific anti-venom to make the venom stop spreading. He would have taken medicine that he still had from Gallifrey to speed up the process and help rejuvenate himself. He focused on his taste buds; she had given him the drops. How could she possibly know how to give him the right medication?

He craved answers, but he didn't want to wake her. She looked exhausted, even in sleep. He was also famished and parched – almost dying really takes a toll. He carefully tried to slip out of bed, and he was mostly successful. She stirred slightly, but her head rested back onto the bed and she didn't wake. He walked to the kitchen and started making tea. He felt… woozy. He didn't like it. Some tea and a nice banana; that's what he needed. As he ate, he kept thinking about how she got him in the TARDIS and fixed him up. This is what he was thinking on when she found him.

* * *

When Rose woke, she berated herself for falling asleep in the first place. Then she realized that the Doctor wasn't there, and she immediately began looking for him. She found him in the kitchen, munching on a banana and sipping his tea. His expression was vacant, though, like he was thinking about something intently. She smiled when she saw him, awake and eating and so alive. She moved to the island and sat in front of him. He didn't seem to see her, so she waved her hand in front of his face.

"Hello in there…" she said.

That seemed to shake him out of his thoughts, and he smiled at her. "Hello sleeping beauty," he said.

She smiled at him. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better," she said. "You had me worried there for a second."

"Just a second?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "More like a day," she admitted. "That's how long you've been out… I think."

"I apologize for worrying you," he said sincerely.

She smiled at him and shook her head. She wasn't upset with him; it wasn't his fault he got bitten by some sort of poison sea animal. She held out her hand. "How's your arm?" she asked.

"Oh, it's fine now," he said. She took his hand anyway, turning his arm, making sure that all of the blackness was gone and he could move it without too much difficulty. "Really, it's fine. Thank you."

She smiled. "I'm glad it's better. And you call me jeopardy friendly," she teased.

"Oi! How is it my fault that I got bitten?" he asked incredulously. She laughed and he smiled at her, but it only lasted a few moments before his expression turned serious again. "Still, something isn't right."

"What? I thought that medicine was supposed to help get rid of the venom," she said, reaching for his arm again.

He shook his head. "No, it's anti-venom. It counteracts the venom, but that's not what I meant," he said. She was confused; what did he mean something wasn't right? He wasn't making any sense. She gave him a look that said to continue, and he did. "The sickbay has tons of medicine in it – not all of it from Earth, either. How did you know what medicine to use?" he asked.

That question caught her off guard. Why was that confusing? The TARDIS told her; you'd think he'd be able to work that out himself. After all, the TARDIS apparently speaks to him all the time. He was looking at her expectantly. "Well," she began, "at first I didn't. I was just focused on getting you to the sickbay without having to drag you – you're not easy to pick up, by the way. Once you were there and in the bed, the TARDIS started telling me which medicine you needed. Then, I put the anti-venom on the bite and wrapped it up, just like she said. Then there was this round, silver bottle and she said you'd need three drops from that, and… why are you staring at me like that?"

He had stopped sipping his tea, and his banana was all but forgotten. He was looking at her with a very worried expression, eyes wider than he'd ever seen them. "What do you mean the TARDIS told you?" he asked.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Exactly as I said; the TARDIS told me. At first it was like the hums that she makes, y'know? Only it was closer… like it was in my head. I wasn't thinking much of it, but then there were these whispers. It wasn't like, full sentences, only a few words here and there. It was inside my head too, and you're _still_ staring at me. What is going on?"

He was out of his chair in an instant, and pulling her back through the TARDIS with him. "We need to get back to the sickbay," he said.

Her heartrate was racing. Had she gotten the TARDIS' message wrong and used the wrong medicine? Oh gosh, did she make things worse? He looked fine again – even if his grip on her hand was still a little weak from lack of rest – but his worried expression scared her.

* * *

The Doctor pulled Rose down the corridor behind him. His ship had moved the sickbay back to where she had it before. Rose shouldn't be able to communicate with the TARDIS like that. The TARDIS should have known better than sending her telepathic messages. Rose's brain could be frying slowly right now because of that. The TARDIS gave an angry hiss in his head. He sighed; she would never purposefully harm Rose. Still, he should check Rose to make sure she was okay.

The TARDIS gave the equivalent of an eye roll, and he did the same. When they got to the sickbay, he told Rose to go sit on the bed and she did. She looked confused, which was probably a safe assumption. He hadn't exactly explained what was going on – of course, there wasn't time. He needed to make sure her mind was still okay.

"Okay," he said, grabbing the ophthalmoscope he'd modified a few regenerations ago. He walked over to look in her eyes with it, but she put her hand up.

"Doctor, tell me what's going on," she said.

He sighed. Why couldn't she just let him check her eyes? He didn't want to frighten her more than she already was. "The TARDIS shouldn't be able to communicate with you – not like that," he explained.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because you're human; you're not telepathic. I mean, in the future you lot try telepathy. Your brains evolve more and more over the centuries, but you never truly get the hang of it. It's not your fault, it's…"

"Doctor!" she said. "You are rambling again. Am I in danger?"

"That's what I need to check and see. You seem to be functioning properly – no slurred speech or visual impairments?" he asked. She shook her head. "Okay, hearing normal?" She nodded. He was looking in her eyes with the instrument, but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He knew he was muttering to himself – in multiple languages probably – and she was doing her best to look brave. He knew better; she was extremely quiet and still the whole time. Rose wasn't usually loud, but she could get fidgety when she had to stay still for a long while. She was either scared stiff or thinking about something really hard – he assumed the former.

"What I don't understand is why you have to use that thing," she said as he walked to the table to find a different instrument. He shot her a confused look as she pulled a blanket up around her shoulders. She was still in her swimsuit, so she must've been freezing. When he asked her what she meant, she said; "Well you're telepathic right? Why can't you just look in my head and make sure it's okay?"

He had returned to stand in front of her, holding his modified stethoscope that could also measure brainwave activity, but he almost dropped it at her question. Yes, the thought had crossed his own mind, but it took her months to be okay with the TARDIS being in her mind and translating. "You don't like things messing in your head," he explained.

She shrugged. "Well, no I don't, but… I know you wouldn't do anything bad. You'd just have a look around, make sure things are in order, and leave," she said. He furrowed his eyebrows, which must have sent the wrong message. "Unless, you don't want to. That's fine, I just thought it would be easier… I didn't mean…"

"Rose, it's okay," he said. A small smile had made its way onto his face. "I know what you meant. It had crossed my mind, but I wasn't going to mention it since I knew it'd make you uncomfortable. But, if you'd like to get this over with quickly…"

She nodded. "I do," she said.

"And if you're absolutely certain…"

"I am," she said with a smile. "I trust you, Doctor."

That made him genuinely happy – happier than he could put into words – to know that she trusted him. Rose wasn't cold and detached, but she didn't trust easily. She was kind and warm to everyone, but during their travels, she had seemed to learn that not everyone was as kind as she was; not everyone wanted to be good.

"Okay," he said. "Well, since you haven't had anyone in your head before, I'll give you a few pointers." His hands were already cupping her face, but he hadn't entered her mind yet. "If there's anything you don't want me to see, just imagine that there's a door or some sort of barrier. If you want it blocked, just block it. I won't look – I promise."

She nodded. "Okay," she said. He could tell she was nervous, but also kind of excited. It would be a new experience for her.

He gently moved his fingers to her temples – her eyes closed – and he said; "Alright. I'm going to enter your mind now. It might feel a little… weird, but try not to force me out, okay?"

She nodded slightly and said; "Okay."

He closed his own eyes and eased himself into her mind. He felt her tense for only a moment, before she relaxed again and her mind opened up before him. Most humans' minds were laid out like hallways, with doors that would contain memories, only to be accessed when opened. Rose's mind was a little different. Her mind was more like the TARDIS without the time rotor in the middle.

There were marble pillars where the coral would be, and it had a haze of dark magenta and gold. He could sense the sadness that had once been so consuming, but was quickly dwindling. What really struck him was how open it was. It wasn't empty by any stretch of the imagination – whatever Rose seemed to think, she wasn't just a simple human. She was smarter than she gave herself credit for. It wasn't cluttered; rather, all the memories and information seemed to be organized neatly behind clear glass doors. She wasn't hiding anything from him.

The only door he couldn't see through was the one in the back of her mind – the one he had personally put there – to contain her memory of Bad Wolf. Even now he could hear a howling from behind it, and scratching at the door. The memory wanted to come out and play. He ignored it; he shouldn't be wasting time.

"Okay Rose," he began. "Can you hear me?"

 _Yes…_

"Alright, I want you to think back to when you brought me into the TARDIS. It should bring the memory to the forefront of your mind, okay?" he asked.

 _Okay…_

He felt her mind working to remember, and he saw her memory from the moment he passed out on the sand. He saw through her eyes when she tried dragging him into the TARDIS. For the briefest of moments she thought it hopeless, but then she shook it off and tried her best to get him back into the TARDIS. He watched as she got him onto the hospital bed and felt her fear as she realized she didn't know what to do. Finally, he heard it; the TARDIS was humming and whispering in her mind.

At first it was loud – headache inducing, almost crippling – because the TARDIS was worried. She didn't regulate her volume. After a moment, it got softer, and he could hear what she was telling Rose. Still, Rose's mind didn't crumble. It stayed as it was – organized, neat, and light. As a human, her mind should be falling down around him by now, especially after how the TARDIS shouted when she first entered.

The doctor left her mind as gently as he entered, but she still gave a gasp as her eyes opened again. "Wow," she breathed. "So, what did you see?"

"Well, everything was organized," he said. "It looked… fine."

"Well that's good, yeah?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, it is, but you shouldn't be able to do that. I mean… you're human!" he said.

The TARDIS broke up their conversation before Rose could answer. She was flying somewhere – but where was she going? Rose and the Doctor rushed to the console room and he flew around the time rotor, pressing button after button, trying to figure out what was going on. He still didn't know.

"Doctor," Rose said. "Where's she going?"

He frowned for a moment and then looked to Rose. What if he could test this new connection she had with the TARDIS? "Ask her," he said.

"What?"

"Ask her where we're going. She won't talk to me," he said.

Rose looked at him with a raised eyebrow before sighing and looking up to the ceiling. "Uh, TARDIS… where are we going?" she asked.

The Doctor could hear a faint noise – like someone was whispering a secret to someone – and he saw Rose wince a little, but she didn't seem to be in pain. "Well?" he asked.

"She just said _vortex_ ," Rose said.

"This makes no sense…"

Before the Doctor could say anymore, the room filled with the sound of the TARDIS alarm going off, and lights flickering on the inside of the console room. The TARDIS was humming and there was too much noise. Rose ran up the ramp and next to the Doctor. He wrapped his arm around her, and they looked to the time rotor which was glowing gold as howling filled the air. He had a really bad feeling about this.


	5. Bad Wolf

**There's an author's note at the bottom, so I don't spoil too much of the story.**

* * *

Charge me your day rate  
I'll turn you out in kind  
When the moon is round and full  
Gonna teach you tricks that'll blow your mind

\- Wolf Like Me; Lera Lynn

* * *

Moments after the alarms and howling began, it ended. The gold glow subsided as well, even though it wasn't completely gone, and the TARDIS had steadied herself. They were drifting through the vortex, according to the TARDIS, but Rose was still clinging to the Doctor. They were both looking around the console room, trying to see what had happened. They watched as the golden energy flowed around them until it began to form one solid figure. When it was finally corporeal, Rose almost fainted at what she saw.

She felt the Doctor stiffen next to her. Standing in front of them was… her. Granted, this her had a vague golden glow about her, and her eyes were golden – even if they weren't glowing – so it was easy to tell them apart. She had on the same outfit – dark jeans and red top – that Rose was wearing when she became the Bad Wolf so long ago. She was staring at Rose and the Doctor and smiling.

The Doctor moved forward and put an arm out in front of Rose. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.

Bad Wolf raised an eyebrow. "Well hello to you too," she said. "Is it possible he's gotten ruder with this regeneration?" she asked Rose.

"You almost killed Rose; you don't deserve pleasantries," the Doctor replied, and then added; "And you're certainly not entering her mind again."

"It was never my intention to harm Rose, and I don't wish to use her as my host again. I have no need to do so," Bad Wolf said. She turned her attention to her lookalike. "I promise Rose. It was always my intention to leave your body exactly as I found it… mostly."

"I don't understand," Rose said. "I don't remember what happened that day. All I remember is that… there was a singing, and golden light."

Bad Wolf nodded. "Your memories of that day were locked away. It was a rash decision made by someone who loves you, and needed to make sure you were safe. He couldn't have known I intended to make sure you survived," she finished by glancing towards the Doctor.

"Okay," the Doctor said. "Let's begin again – at the beginning this time. Who, or what, are you _exactly_?"

"I am the Bad Wolf," she said.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah, I get that, but I thought you said you create yourself. Why would you create yourself and then want to leave again? Moreover, where did you come from in the first place?"

Bad Wolf sighed crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It's a very long story, and I can assure you that you won't like it Doctor. However, you're determined to know, so I'll tell you anyway. I originated on Gallifrey," she said. The Doctor's eyes widened at this information, but he remained silent. "Time Lords were the most intelligent race in the universe. Even as intelligent as they were, they couldn't find a way to avoid weapons, so they created me. To the ancients of Gallifrey, I was known as _The Galaxy Eater_ ; the others who knew me, called me The Moment."

Rose looked to the Doctor, who looked very much like he was trying not to be sick. She looked to Bad Wolf, who had sympathy in her gaze. "You were a weapon?" Rose asked.

Bad Wolf nodded solemnly. "During the final days of the Time War, things were getting… bad. That's putting it mildly, really. They were getting catastrophic. It took one man – one very brave man – to stand up and say no more. He stole me away, and set out to use me to end the war."

"Don't," the Doctor said. His voice was barely a whisper.

Rose's heart broke for him. She was making him relive all of the pain he had so desperately tried to forget. In that moment, Rose didn't care who the hell Bad Wolf was; she was getting a piece of her mind. Rose rolled her shoulders back and looked Bad Wolf in the eye. "So they made a weapon with a conscience, yeah?" she asked. Bad Wolf nodded, so Rose continued. "Then how dare you judge him. You had a conscience, so why didn't _you_ stop it? Why didn't you say no and tell him to bugger off? It was his planet, or the universe: that's an impossible decision. That's a decision _no one_ should be forced to make. How could you judge someone who was forced to make that decision because no one else would?"

Bad Wolf looked confused, and when Rose looked to the Doctor he looked shocked – if not a little misty eyed – at her outburst. "Rose," Bad Wolf said, "I was not judging him. He told me to start at the beginning, and that was my beginning."

"How do you mean?" the Doctor asked with a soft voice, stepping forward to take Rose's hand.

"When you activated The Moment, I didn't just go away. I became a consciousness without a purpose, so I escaped to the only place I knew I could survive – the heart of your TARDIS. She gave me a small space in a corner of her heart to live, and that's where I was for a very long time," she explained.

The Doctor nodded. "And that's where Rose comes in," he said.

"Yes," Bad Wolf said. "You wanted me to end the time war, but it wasn't over. When I sensed the Dalek Emperor and his fleet close by, I did what I could to get back to you, but I couldn't fly the TARDIS without a form."

"So when I looked into the TARDIS, I absorbed you into my head. You were the golden light?" Rose asked.

"Exactly. It was a lot for your mind to handle, but it was a fixed point. It had to happen. The moment I entered your mind, we became one. The Doctor took me from your mind – which is okay. I won't enter again. I don't need to, but I still have part of you with me," she explained.

The Doctor took Bad Wolf from her mind? When did that happen; she couldn't remember. "How did he do that?" she asked.

"That's a story for you and him to discuss another time. The reason I'm here is because everything is about to change for you both," she said. "There were many different ways your roads could have gone in the past few months, but I have foreseen this path."

"Are we in danger?" Rose asked.

Bad Wolf shook her head. "Not as of now, no. But I don't give it very long before something happens," she said with a grin.

"Then why are you here?" The Doctor asked.

"There are things you need to know; important things," she replied. The Doctor motioned for her to continue, and she said; "First thing: This is the last time you'll see me for a long while. You'll have many adventures ahead of you – stretching on forever, your names written across the stars – but I won't be there for them. It takes incredible energy for me to speak with you like this – I asked the TARDIS to find as much energy as she could, somewhere energy is plentiful."

The Doctor moved to the scanner and looked at the screen. "We're orbiting a supernova."

Bad Wolf nodded. "And I won't enter Rose's mind again unless it's a situation of the highest emergency or if the situation is hopeless."

"So you just came to say goodbye?" Rose asked.

Bad Wolf smiled. "Not goodbye; perhaps see you later, depending on your choices in the future. But I also have to tell you something. Rose… you're different now."

"How d'you mean?" she asked.

"I'm sure you've realized by now that your mind is… expanding. You're able to keep up with the Doctor a little better, and you're able to communicate with TARDIS…" she said.

The Doctor cut her off. "That was you?" he asked. "What did you do to her?"

Bad Wolf looked to him. "I modified her," she explained. "Like you do with every appliance you come across."

"Rose isn't bloody toaster!" he shouted.

"Do not shout at me, Doctor. You will respect your elders," she ordered as her eyes glowed a little more. "My energy killed you Doctor – you with your superior Time Lord biology. I invite you to mull over the possibilities of what it would have done to her had I not helped. Rose's mind was completely human when I entered it. She was dead the moment the light hit her eyes. I preserved it – and her body – to make sure she would be okay."

"Why would you do that, then?" Rose asked. "Not that I'm not grateful – I mean, I am. But why would you care what happened to me?"

Bad Wolf gave her a little smile. "I told you – you became part of me when you absorbed my energy. To preserve your mind, I had to meld your consciousness with my own. In that moment, everything you loved became everything I loved. Your fears became my own. I stopped being The Moment and became Bad Wolf. I would not leave you to die, Rose. I knew what the Doctor would do to save your life – I saw it. It had to happen, so I let it. I modified your mind and body, and when I was taken from you, you were perfectly fine."

This was all too much. Rose was getting the worst possible headache, and she just wanted to take a long hot shower and go to sleep. "Okay, so you modified me. What does that mean exactly? What does it mean for _me_?" she asked.

"In addition to expanding your mind – and subsequently opening you up to telepathy – tying not only your consciousness but your physical being as well with my own changed you physically. You won't age; not really. That means your lifespan is significantly longer than the average humans – maybe even longer than the average Time Lord's."

"Excuse me?"

" _What?_ "

Rose and the Doctor looked to each other; their eyes both displayed confusion and fear. "What do you mean?" Rose asked.

"You created me, Rose. You took The Moment and turned it into Bad Wolf. That doesn't just happen without consequences. You promised the Doctor forever. What you didn't know is that you can actually give it to him," Bad Wolf explained.

Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was basically invincible, if what Bad Wolf were saying was true. That's not just a bomb you can drop and expect someone to be okay with. What do you do when someone says they've given you forever? Somehow thank you didn't seem like enough, and she also kind of wanted to smack Bad Wolf into the next century for messing with her body and mind like that. Still, it wasn't all confusing. She could give the Doctor forever now – really and truly, forever. That was amazing. But, how would he react? Would forever be too domestic for him? Did he even want forever with her now that he could have it? She was wrong; it was most certainly all confusing.

Rose sighed. "Okay, I'm exhausted. I thought the Doctor was going to die, and I slept sitting up all night. I have dried sea water all over my body, and this swimsuit is very uncomfortable. I'm going to shower and go to sleep. I just…" She didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she just walked away as quickly as she could, leaving Doctor and Bad Wolf standing behind her.

* * *

The Doctor was left behind with Bad Wolf. Rose wasn't taking this well. She was probably extremely confused by the entire thing. Even he didn't fully understand. He turned back to face Bad Wolf once Rose was completely out of sight and hearing range. She was looking at him like she knew all of his questions before he even asked; maybe she did.

He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. "So Rose is no longer human?" he asked.

Bad Wolf turned her head to the side. "She's human," she said. "She's just… enhanced. Her DNA structure will be a bit different to humans, and she'll still have a few huon particles leftover from me. It's nothing too serious. They're quite benign."

"What do we do now?" he asked.

"What do you do… in reference to what?" Bad Wolf asked.

"What's in our future? Are we always together? What happens to us?" he asked. He knew her answer, but he had to try.

She smiled. "Oh Doctor – my Doctor – you know I can't tell you that," she said.

He nodded. "It was worth a try though," he said.

She laughed and moved towards him. "Doctor, you and Rose are a story written across the stars. You're loved and feared in equal measure. You're the poster children for destiny," she said.

"I don't believe in destiny," he said.

"Destiny is something you create on your own, Doctor, and you have. You and Rose together have made your destiny, and it is magnificent," she beamed.

There was a brief silence between them. "She'll be okay, right?"

"Yes." There was another pause, and then Bad Wolf got a questioning look on her face. "Do you love her?"

The Doctor was taken aback. "What?" he asked.

"I asked if you loved her. Rose, I mean," she said.

Who else would she be talking about? "That's none of your concern," he said proudly. This was approaching dangerous emotional-talk territory. When Bad Wolf leveled him with a look, he let out a breath. "Yes," he whispered.

"I'm sorry?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, louder this time. "Yes! I do. I bloody well love her, okay?"

"Then what's the problem?" she asked.

"I'm not good at this, you know – the domestics," he explained.

Bad Wolf gave a light chuckle and looked him straight in the eyes. "Then allow me to help you out. I'll get your started on the right foot. Don't let her be alone tonight. Lie next to her and let her know that – even though you're faced with the permanence of forever – you're not going anywhere. Then, when she wakes, talk to her. I know you don't do domestics, but sometimes you'll have to, for her. Tell her everything that you're feeling. Get it all out in the open. Then, go from there."

Was she really suggesting that he lay himself bare before Rose without any barriers or walls between them? Could he do that? Rose knew more about him than any other companion had before. Still, did he want to face the possible rejection? Did she want a relationship, or was she just interested in friendship and adventure? On the other hand, could he live with wondering what she would have said? Could he take the suspense? He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Okay," he said. "I'll talk to her. She deserves at least that much."

Bad Wolf smiled. "Good."

"I'm just not very good at this sort of thing," he said.

"Don't worry, Doctor. Rose _will_ help you," she replied. "I know, sooner or later, you'll crack it."

He nodded, and gave her a small smile. She waved goodbye and said she had to go, and that she hoped she'd never have to see him again. He laughed and waved goodbye, and then sat down on the jumpseat. He'd give Rose time to shower and dress before he went to check on her. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

When Rose finally made it to her room – had it always been so far down the hallway? – she took the blanket that she'd wrapped around her and tossed it onto the bed. She looked around the room; the blanket was the only thing out of place. After her mom had been trapped in the other universe, she had gone on a cleaning spree to try and focus on something – anything – other than her feelings. It didn't look lived-in anymore.

Rose walked into the bathroom and began peeling off the swimsuit that had dried to her skin. She turned on the water and hopped into the shower, closing her eyes as the hot water warmed her body and turned her skin pink. She needed to organize her thoughts. She'd just received more information than she should have in one sitting. She took a deep breath and went through the motions of washing her hair and her body, as she tried to make sense of the information she'd just received.

First thing's first: she was apparently going to live a long time now. Did she believe that? Did she really think she would never age again? That was one theory she didn't really want to test out. Still, now that she thought about it, when she looked in the mirror she didn't look a day over twenty. Her hair was shorter – and it did age her – but that was really the only difference. Maybe Bad Wolf wasn't lying. Rose didn't know whether that thought thrilled her or terrified her.

On the one hand, she could travel with the Doctor forever, saving planets and entire races of people and other aliens. On the other hand, he had always thought travel with her would be temporary. That's how he functioned. Would the fact that she could be a permanent fixture in his life drive him away? Would it all be too domestic? She couldn't bear the thought of just staying on Earth in a monotonous lifestyle from beginning to end.

She had finished washing and rinsing, but she couldn't bring herself to leave the hot and steamy shower. She sat on the edge of the tub and rested her elbows on her knees. This was all too much. She hadn't bargained for this when she joined him. Her mind was already thinking over words her mother had said to her, what seemed like ages ago.

 _And you'll keep on changing. And in forty years' time, fifty, there'll be this woman, this strange woman, walking through the marketplace on some planet a billion miles from Earth. But she's not Rose Tyler. Not anymore. She's not even human._

A sob escaped her throat. Was her mum right? If Rose wasn't really human – not a normal human, anyway – and she wasn't alien… what was she? What should she call herself? Was she human 2.0? She shook her head and wiped her eyes. She'd have to come back to that one, so she filed it away for a later date. Something else stuck out in her mind. _My energy killed you Doctor…_

What had Bad Wolf meant? Rose didn't have much recollection of what had happened during her Bad Wolf episode. All she knew is that the Doctor regenerated afterwards. With everything that happened at Christmas, she forgot to ask, but now the curiosity was killing her.

She finally turned the water off and toweled herself dry. She was shivering as she crawled into her bed and wrapped herself into a cocoon of blankets. She was exhausted, and she thought as soon as her head hit the pillow she was out like a light, but her dreams were anything but comforting.

* * *

 _Rose couldn't escape the gold light, no matter how much she tried. It was just… there. It was everywhere all at once, and it seemed to follow her as she walked out of the TARDIS and towards the Doctor; her first Doctor, with big ears and leather. He was lying backwards on the ground, looking absolutely terrified and in awe of what stood before him. Why was he afraid of her – she'd never hurt him, not in a million years!_

 _She could see everything – the entirety of time and space stretched out before her – and it hurt. It hurt so badly. She felt like she were burning completely from the inside out. There was a song in her ears, but it was quickly fading._

" _My head," she managed to say, "it's killin' me…"_

" _I think you need a Doctor," she heard, in the harsh northern accent she loved so much._

 _The moment she felt someone's lips on hers, she felt the pain subsiding. It burned through her eyes, and once it was gone, the relief made her lose consciousness._

"Rose…" She could feel someone shaking her shoulder, trying to wake her up. "Rose!"

She gasped and sat up straight in the bed, looking into the deep brown eyes of the Doctor. The eyes that had only turned brown after what happened at the game station – after he kissed her and absorbed the time energy. It was her fault he had regenerated; it was her fault he died. She had been so focused on saving the Doctor, and instead, she had ended his life. He came back – through regeneration – but that wasn't the point.

"Rose, are you okay?" he asked.

She wasn't okay at all. "You died…" she said.

He looked confused. "No…" he replied. "I'm right here. I'm not dead."

"The game station," she said. "You died, and it's my fault."

He sighed and shook his head. "Rose, that wasn't your fault." She frowned at him, and she knew he could tell she wasn't buying it. "Rose, listen to me; the energy was killing you. I did what I had to do. I knew what would happen."

"Why would you do that to yourself?" she asked. "I wasn't worth it, Doctor!"

"Don't say that," the Doctor said with a hard voice. "Don't you ever think that you're not worth it, Rose, because you are. I'd do it over again if I had to – a million times, if need be." She shook her head and let it fall into her hands. She felt his arms wrap around her, and she leaned into his touch. "You're tired," he said.

"I'm fine," she lied.

"C'mon, it's time to go back to sleep," he said.

"No, we still need to talk about earlier…"

"And we will, once you're not exhausted anymore, okay? I promise," he said. "Now, time for humans to sleep."

He tried to get her to lay back down, but she couldn't. "No, I'll dream about it again. I'll dream that you've died and it's my fault," she said.

"What if I stayed right here?" he asked. "That way you'll know that I'm not going anywhere."

She thought for a moment; she hadn't slept any better than when she was sleeping against him on the beach. Maybe he was right. Maybe he could help. She nodded, and he moved so she could lean against his chest. She didn't fall asleep right away. She was content with just lying there against his chest, but the steady beat of his hearts and his fingers running through her hair quickly put her in a trance, and she was asleep within minutes.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so here's the next chapter. It took forever to write because Rose wasn't cooperating, plus I've got the worst sinus infection in the world, and I'm just having the worst day ever. Happy mother's day to you all. I hope you're all picking up what I'm putting down with the whole Bad Wolf thing. This is probably one of the only times she'll make an appearance in the story and its subsequent sequels. I don't want to use her as a scapegoat for every challenge they face.**


	6. Together Forever

Here's the final chapter! I hope you like. There is a _**VERY** _ important author's note at the bottom, k? :)

* * *

"We have to allow ourselves to be loved by the people who really love us, the people who really matter."  
― C. JoyBell C.

* * *

When Rose woke, the Doctor was still right there with her. She had been so exhausted that it had taken no time at all for her to fall back to sleep, and with the Doctor there, she didn't suffer from any nightmares. She was extremely warm and snuggled up into his side, and his arms were wrapped around her shoulders holding her close to him. His head was leaned back against the headboard, and his eyes were closed, but she was almost positive he was still awake.

Still, she laid her head back down on his arm and closed her eyes, while he held her tighter against him. She felt his hands thread through her hair again, and she let out a happy sigh. She glanced up at him and saw him grinning at her, and she returned it. "Good morning," she said.

"Good morning," he replied. "I suppose you slept well."

She nodded. "I did. Thank you." She glanced up at him, and noticed his hair was all mussed. He must have been pulling at it while thinking – a habit she'd noticed he favored in this regeneration. "You've been thinking."

"I'm always thinking," he replied.

"Good thoughts?" she asked.

He sighed. "I suppose it's all in how you look at it," he said. "I was mostly thinking about what happened on the beach, before I got poisoned."

Rose felt her cheeks heat up a little at the thought. He had been thinking of their kiss? Was that a good thing, or a bad thing? "I suppose we do need to talk about that – without the possibility of you getting poisoned by a sea creature," she said.

"Yes," he said. "I'm not really sure where to start, I guess."

She thought for a moment and then said; "Well, we had started to talk about it back on Tethys. What else were you going to say there?"

"Like I said before," he began, "I don't regret kissing you. I don't know why anyone would, to be honest. I was ready to live in the moment and stop thinking about the fact that you were human, which meant you'd leave eventually. But now that you're lifespan is apparently as long as mine…"

"The new question becomes: now that we can have forever, do you still want it?" she said after he trailed off.

She looked up at him with wide eyes. She was completely vulnerable right now. Whatever he said next would affect her – no matter the response. She hated that she relied on him this much. After what happened between her and Jimmy Stone, she never wanted to rely on a man like this again, and what did she do? She put her security and emotional well-being in the hands of a nine-hundred year old alien git with two hearts and a tendency to push people away in awkward situations. Still, she could never compare him to bloody Jimmy Stone – she shouldn't even try. He was better than that; so much more.

"Now would be a good time to reply…" he said.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I spaced," she said.

He chuckled and said; "Yeah, I noticed. I said that I still want forever – with you – if that's what you want."

She smiled. "Really?" When he nodded, her smile got even bigger. "I definitely still want forever with you."

"You're sure," he said. "Because you can't see into the future; you don't know what you'll want. You're human, and humans crave… well, human things. Like, houses and things."

Rose sighed and sat up to face him. She couldn't keep having this same argument with him. How could she let him know that it wasn't like that with her? "Doctor," she began, "The whole human thing never sat well with me. I was never right for it. If I didn't want it before, why would I want it now?"

"Because everywhere we go, you're going to see that the one constant with humans is the domestics: the houses and mortgages, and the families. Rose, you're giving up those things before you realize you might want them."

"Okay," she said. "Let's pretend for just a moment that – at some point in the future – I'll want those things. Let's pretend that I'll want the boring, every day, nondescript human life that you're talking about. Do you honestly think that I'd want that life _more_ than I'd want you?" He didn't answer, so she continued. "Doctor, the only thing that makes human life worth living his having family and someone you love with you to hold your hand through it all. So if I can't have that life with you, then I don't want it at all. _That_ , Doctor, I can promise you will _never_ change."

* * *

How do you reply to someone who has just declared they'll love you forever? You'd think that someone with nine centuries of experience would know the answer to that question. You'd be wrong, because the Doctor was clueless. He loved Rose Tyler – he absolutely did, whether he'd get the chance to say it or not. He definitely wanted forever with her. If there were anyone in the universe he wanted to spend his forever with, it would be Rose Tyler.

She was looking at him with nervous eyes, but her mouth was quirked into a disarming smile. She was worried about what his response would be, but she was trying to be brave. "This is the part where I say something, right?" he said.

"That would certainly make me feel a lot better," she replied.

He nodded, but still, he couldn't think of anything to say. There was only one question he had. "So, you'd give up a normal human life just to be with me?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes," she replied.

"You understand, though, that I'm not the domestic type. I can try – for you – but I won't be very good at it," he said.

"I'm not asking you to be," she said. "Besides, we're technically married on seven different planets already. I think you've been a pretty good husband already," she teased.

He chuckled. He knew she was teasing because of the tongue-touched smile she was giving him. Still, she did have a point. They were technically married on countless planets. What would be the harm of one more? Still, he'd wait to ask her that. He was pretty sure there was a rule that said not to propose to someone while their minds were reeling with information from an entity that resides in the heart of a sentient, time travelling spaceship.

"So, does this mean I'm you're boyfriend now?" he asked.

She grinned. "I don't know; does this make me your girlfriend?"

He wouldn't mind her being his girlfriend – nor would he mind being her boyfriend – if either of the terms truly covered what they meant to one another. "I don't know," he said, in all seriousness.

"They don't seem sufficient, do they?" she asked, hitting the nail on the head. He shook his head, and she said; "Everyone always called you my boyfriend: mum, Mickey, Shareen – the last time I called her. It just seemed too… juvenile for you."

"Juvenile… really?" he asked.

Rose sighed. "Well, yeah. I mean, you meant so much more than that to me. In their minds, the term boyfriend didn't really carry much weight. I mean, mom had a new boyfriend every other month growing up. In their eyes, boyfriends and girlfriends played mind games and sent you on emotional roller coasters. A boyfriend was someone you'd date for a while before they inevitably left, and I just didn't see you as being that. You've always been… better."

He didn't know what to say to that. He had sent her away once, but he'd never just up and leave. The concept of boyfriends and girlfriends was so odd to him, because he'd never properly thought about it. "It's all so new to me," he said, and then he smiled. "It's kind of exciting."

"What, relationships?" she asked.

"Well, Earth-like relationships and customs," he said. "My planet didn't even have a word for boyfriend or girlfriend. Well, I suppose they would have at one point. They'd… evolved from that long before my time."

"You didn't date?" she asked.

He smiled at the mere thought of any Time Lords 'dating'. "No," he said. "We didn't date. We were supposed to be above things like that. We married for political reasons, or just because it was a smart match. Rarely did love ever enter the picture, and when it did… it always ended messy."

"How so?" she asked.

"Marriage between the Time Lords, for political purposes, was like your basic Earth marriage. It was a written record in a book and a piece of paper. Sometimes there was a fondness for one another. But, once in a blue moon, you'd have two Time Lords who dared to feel things, and they fell in love. If that were the case, and they knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they wanted to be together forever, then they would also have a bonding ceremony," he explained.

"Sounds intimate," she said in a soft voice.

He nodded. "Oh, yes. It was quite intimate. But, where humans only have the ability to be legally married, a bonding ceremony married you for life."

"What, like _death do us part_ , but for real?" she asked.

"Exactly. You would bond your minds together, telepathically, and your minds would become one with each other," he explained.

He had never done that with any other Time Lord. To him it was all just fanciful notions; he had never really loved anyone in that way. Still he'd like to see what Rose's reaction to the bonding ceremony was. She probably wasn't telepathic enough to do that, and he wouldn't ask her to do it anyway. If something were to happen to him, she would feel the pain of it, and vice versa.

"That's… different," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Good different, or bad different?" he asked.

She laughed. "Just different. I mean, it's incredibly beautiful. I can't imagine anyone on Earth having that kind of devotion to one another. But it would have to be risky, and terribly awful, y'know. Like, what if the person you bonded with died before you did. That would be… excruciating, right?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "It would be the worst pain that a Time Lord would ever feel. Still, it happened. People bonded, and that was the closest thing the Time Lords had to true love."

She started giggling, and he was confused. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just… your people. They didn't do anything half-way, did they?"

He smiled and looked down. "No. No, I suppose they didn't."

"I mean, it's either husband-and-wife, or bonded mates for eternity, with no dating. I mean, it's better than everyone on the planet statistically predestined to divorce at least once in their lifetime, but still, it's… intense."

He looked at her with a fond smile and said; "I suppose that is a good word for the Time Lords." Rose paused for a moment, looking deep in thought. He could practically see wheels turning in her head, and he loved it when she got a contemplating look on her face. He loved watching her put pieces together, or coming up with solutions to any problem she faced. "Penny for your thoughts?" he asked.

She grinned. "I was just thinkin'… I know you're new at the whole relationship thing, and I know you don't like labels. So, how about you decide where you want to go from here. We can take it slow if that's what you want."

"You want me to decide what we do with our relationship?" he asked.

She took a breath and let it out before saying; "I want you to be comfortable with whatever we do. I don't want to push you into anything. But if I could make a suggestion… could we not go back to where we were before. Y'know, with the whole dancing around each other, flirting but not doing anything more."

He smiled. "I think it's too late to go back now," he said. "Besides, now that we've kissed I can't imagine never doing it again."

"Oh really?" she asked as she scooted closer to him. "I quite like the sound of that."

"Mmm…" he said as she brought her lips to his. It was strange to think that they'd only kissed a few times before, and now it's like they'd been kissing since they'd met. It was comfortable; not awkward. Their lips melded together perfectly, like they were meant to be together.

When Rose pulled away, she smiled at him, and he melted at the sight. He knew it now; he wanted her. No matter what, he wanted Rose – every bit of her. He knew what he wanted to do now. "Okay, I have an idea."

"Really?" she asked. "So quickly?"

"You'll find my Time Lord mind works quite quickly, thank you," he replied. She rolled her eyes, but he continued anyway. "If you'll be my girlfriend, I'll be your boyfriend. I won't deny you an Earth marriage, but I'll take it slow. I know you're probably ready for domestic bliss, but I need a bit more time to… build up to it."

She smiled at him. "Okay, I think that sounds fair. And I won't deny you a Time Lord marriage, if you're able to have one with me."

He paused and said; "You do know what that means, right? Your mind would be connected with mine for eternity. We'd never be separated until one of us dies, and when that happened the other would be ruined for the rest of their existence. Every bit of your past would become mine, and every bit of my past would become yours. There's a lot of darkness up here, Rose. You might not like what you see."

She knew he was just being honest with her, but she hated the idea that he thought she didn't love him enough to want every bit of him. "Doctor, I'm willing to risk anything for you, okay?" He was about to say something, but she finished what she had to say before he could. "I know it would be asking a lot of you, though, so it's your choice whether you want to go that far with me."

He kissed her again, slowly, before pulling away and saying; "Thank you. Thank you for understanding… and for being you."

"Well, I'm here to help," she teased with a smile.

Something that Bad Wolf had told him was brought to the front of his mind when she said that. _Don't worry, Doctor. Rose_ will _help you. I know, sooner or later, you'll crack it._ His mind began racing at a million miles a minute. What was it in that sentence that tripped a wire in his mind?

 _You'll crack it…_

"Cracks," he said.

Rose blinked. "What?" she asked.

"Cracks! Rose, cracks!" He jumped up from the bed and ran to the console room. She sighed and shook her head before rushing after him. She would follow him anywhere, and she knew he would do the same with her.

* * *

Rose watched as the doctor zoomed around the TARDIS console, hitting buttons and flipping levers. She tried getting his attention, but all her efforts were wasted. He was completely engrossed in whatever it was he was doing. She walked over to the jump seat and watched him, fascinated by how at ease he was in his magnificent ship. She couldn't help the small smile that found its way to her face.

 _What's he doing, old girl?_ She hoped the TARDIS might help her out, but there was a curious hum in her mind that led her to believe she wouldn't get a straight answer from the ship.

After about an hour of this, the Doctor finally noticed her sitting in the jumpseat. "Oh, sorry, have you been talking?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, I thought I'd wait until you were finished with… whatever it is you're doing," she replied. He smiled at her and she said; "What exactly is it you're doing?"

"Cracks!" he said, motioning for her to come to him.

She walked over to stand by his side and saw what looked like a glowing line illuminating the screen. "What's this then?" she asked.

"Remember how I said that what happened at Canary Wharf was caused by cracks between this universe and the next?" he asked.

"How could I forget?" she deadpanned.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, to offer a bit of comfort, and said; "Well, think of it as like a fracture. It doesn't heal all at once. It takes time, and if we're lucky – I mean _really_ lucky…" He let his sentence trailed off as something else popped up on the screen. It looked to be a nicely decorated bedroom – much bigger than any room Rose had ever slept in before – but that's not what got her attention.

Lying in the bed, sleeping peacefully next to Pete, was her mother. "Mum!" Rose shouted, a smile coming over her face. Both Pete and Jackie seemed to startle awake, and then the image faded. "Wait! No!"

"Rose, it's okay. The signal is still going through. The crack is tiny, so it won't hold for long, but I think Pete will be able to figure it out," he said.

"If the crack is small, then…"

"We can't bring any of them back through, but you can get a message to your mother. You can show her that you're okay – or that you will be okay – and you can see that she's fine as well," he explained.

Rose nodded. She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up, or expected her luck to go that far, but she was pleased she could get a message out to her mother. "I'm just glad I got to see her."

A tear fell down her cheek without warning, and she swiped it away as the Doctor pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. She wrapped her arms around his waist and didn't let go for the longest time. This is where she belonged. This is exactly where she wanted to be.

* * *

It took weeks for them to get through to Jackie, and relay enough information for her and Pete to trace the signal to… wherever it came out at. Rose wasn't entirely certain where that was. All she knew was that they'd been hovering around a supernova for what seemed like an eternity. It was giving the TARDIS the energy she needed to send the signal, and a message.

The TARDIS manual – which was completely written in Gallifreyan, which Rose couldn't read and the TARDIS wouldn't translate – had apparently said there was no way to send a message. That didn't seem to sit well with the Doctor, so he threw it into the supernova.

Finally, the Doctor and Rose got the message through, and now they were standing there waiting for their hologram-selves to materialize in the other universe. When they did, they were standing on some sort of beach or something. Rose could hear the sound of the waves. She saw Pete, Jackie, and Mickie standing a few yards away, waiting for them.

"Mum!" Rose shouted. She wanted to run towards her, but the Doctor had warned that she would just be an image.

Jackie rushed to Rose and the Doctor. "Oh Rose!" she said. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

Rose couldn't stop the tears in her eyes. She had promised that she wouldn't cry – she would make her mom think she was perfectly fine, but that plan was quickly flying out the window. "Mum… I can't believe it…"

"Hello Jackie," the Doctor said.

She smiled at him and said; "You both look like ghosts."

"Oh, hold on," the Doctor said. He pointed his sonic at the console, which Rose assumed fixed their image problem. Jackie held her hand up to touch Rose's face, but the image became fuzzy and distorted until she pulled her hand away. "We're still just an image. No touch," the Doctor added.

Jackie huffed. "Well that's just bloody brilliant. I can't even hug my own daughter," she said. "Can't you both come through properly?"

Rose shook her head. "The whole thing would fracture," she said. "Two universes would collapse."

"So?" Jackie teased.

Rose chuckled. Her mom definitely would collapse two universes to get Rose back, if it was what Rose wanted. "Where are we?" she asked. "Where did the gap come out?"

"We're in bloody Norway," Jackie replied. Rose and the Doctor shared a look. "'Bout fifty miles outside of Bergen. It's called _Dårlig Ulv Stranden_."

"Dalek?" Rose asked.

" _Dårlig,_ " Jackie corrected. "It's Norwegian for bad. It translates as… Bad Wolf Bay, or something. Funny name for a beach, if you ask me." Rose's eyes widened and she felt the Doctor's hand lightly squeeze hers. Things with Bad Wolf might be settled now, but her life had still been completely changed because of what had happened. "How long have we got?"

"About two minutes," the Doctor said.

Jackie scoffed and shook her head. "Well I can't think of what to say! Two minutes to tell my daughter how much I love her; how much I'll miss her? It's not enough," she exclaimed.

"Mum," Rose said. "I'll miss you too… always. But, you've still got Mickey."

"As if Mickey's supposed to make up for you, Rose," she said before letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. This can't be easy on you either."

Rose shook her head. Jackie turned to look at Mickey and Pete, who were thankfully giving her time to say goodbye. When she did, Rose noticed how her arm wrapped protectively around her stomach. "Mum… you're not, um," Rose couldn't think of how to ask. She pointed towards her own stomach, and thankfully, her mom got the hint.

Jackie's eyes lit up. "Yes! Three months now," she said.

"Mum that's great!" Rose exclaimed. She looked at the Doctor, who looked confused.

"What is?" he asked.

"She's pregnant," Rose explained.

The Doctor looked mildly shocked by this information, but he eventually smiled. "Congratulations!" he said. "More Tylers' on the way, then."

"And what about you?" Jackie asked. "What have you two been up to? Has he made an honest woman out of you yet?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Mum…" she groaned.

"What? I need to know before I never see you again," she said.

"I'm not going to push Rose away anymore. I love her," the Doctor said, as if it were as easy as breathing. He'd been holding onto it for so long, but now he wanted to say it often and in any language he could. "I love her, and I see that now. You don't have to worry."

Jackie smiled. "Oh I'll always worry, but as long as I know she'll be happy, then I'll be happy too."

"I will be happy, mum. I'll miss you – really I will, always – but I'll be happy that I'm with him," she explained.

"I hope you know I'll be tellin' your little brother all about his brave and smart big sister," she said. "Both Pete and Mickey work for Torchwood now, but they'll never have stories like yours."

The Doctor wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Rose Tyler; Defender of the Earth," he said with pride.

"You're dead, officially, back home," Rose said. "So many people died that day, and you've gone missing. You're on a list of the dead, but here you are. So alive…"

"Am I ever going to see you again?" Jackie asked.

Rose shook her head. "You can't."

"And you're just gonna be travelin' around the universe in that spaceship?" she asked. "Are you ever gonna go back to Earth?"

"Of course we will. Mum, I won't forget who I am," she explained.

"I love you," Jackie said.

Rose sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I love you too, mum."

"Any you, mister 'I'm a Time Lord'. If you upset my daughter, I'll know it – somehow – and I'll find you and slap you into your next regeneration," she warned.

The Doctor actually looked slightly afraid. "I'd never hurt Rose. You have my word."

Rose watched as the image of her mother faded until it was completely gone. She let her head fall into her hands, and she let the Doctor guide her over to the jumpseat. They sat there for a long time. Rose didn't know how long, but eventually the Doctor had to navigate them away from the supernova. He walked around the console, flipping switches and setting controls. When Rose looked up, she saw a figure in white standing in front of the TARDIS doors.

"What?" she asked.

The figure turned to reveal a redheaded woman, who was definitely far from home. "Oh!" she gasped.

That got the Doctor's attention. "What?" he asked.

"Who are you?"

"What?" the Doctor asked again, looking at Rose. She moved to stand next to him.

"Where am I, eh?" the redhead asked – somehow making the question sound like a demand.

Rose shook her head. "What?" she asked.

"What the hell is this place?!" the woman shouted.

"What?!" Rose and the Doctor said at the same time.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, well friends. So here we are... I do apologize - profusely - for being absent for so long. I just couldn't get through this chapter. I still feel like the Doctor and Rose are slightly out of character for some of this, but what the heck. I'll get over it. So will you, I'm sure. This is the end of Testing the Waters, but I've decided to attempt tackling a series 3 rewrite. I'll do the Runaway Bride episode as a separate story from this one, but I'll post an update to tell you when it's up. :)**

 **Also, I'm switching accounts. This one is too cluttered and it's giving me anxiety, so I will let you know when the story is posted on my other account (where I can keep things organized).**

 **THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!**


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